Game apparatus



C. S. McMAHAN.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION mm APR. 19. I920.

1,383,736, Patented July 5, 1921.

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GAME arrnna'rus,

Specification of Letters Ifatent.

Patented July 5, 1921.

Application filed April 19, 1920. SerialNo. 375,095.

To all whom it may concern:

residing at Orlando, in the State of Florida,

have invented certain new and useful Tmprovements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in a game apparatus, comprehending particularly a game board of particular formation, and a series of balls adapted to be moved about the board in a particular mannen through the manual manipulation of the board proper, in order that the object or balls may be lodged in pockets below the playing surface provided therefor.

The game board is constructed with a view to playing the game in accordance with certain prescribed rules, the construction particularly involving an arrangement by which the possible count or score is proportioned in value to the difficulty of making that score. This difficulty is resultant from a specific construction of the board, and requires more or less expertness 'to overcome, which thereby materially enhances the value and amusement of the game.

In the accompanying drawing:

The figure represents a perspective vlew of a game board constructed in accordance with the present invention.

The improved board 1, which is of any appropriate or desired dimensions, so long as it may be conveniently manipulated in the hands, is provided with a playing surface 2,

having a raised marginal edge 3.

The board here shown is rectangular in plan View, and is formed at each corner with a pocket 4, the inner marginal edges of whlch are curved as shown at 5. The playing surface of the board is centrally provided with what may be termed a pen 6, comprising walls 7, arranged in parallelism, with the marginal edges of the playing surface. One

providing an outlet from the pen.

The respective pockets are, for the purposes of the particular game, given a different counting or score value, as for instance, one such pocket may have a value of one, the next pocket the value of two, the next a value of three and the remaining pocket a value of four. Adjacent each pocket, and marked on the playing surface of the board, is a line 9,

of such walls is formed with an opening 8,

which is concentric with the edge of the pocket and extends to the marginal walls of the play ng surface, which define the boundary limit of that pocket. These lines 9, wh1ch may be termed hazard or balk lines, are spaced different distances from the edges of the respective pockets, the spacing distance bemg in inverse order to the scoring value of the pocket; that ,is to say, with the pocket having the value of one, the hazard or balk line is arranged a considerable distance from such pocket, such lines being moved successively nearer the remaining pockets as their scoring value increases, until at pocket having the value of four, the hazard orbalk line is quite close to the edge of the pocket.

The game is played with five balls, one, wh ch may be designated as cue ball, as 10, and'four object balls 11, of the same color, but dlfiering from the color of the cue ball.

In playing the game, the balls are all grouped in the pen, and the object is to drive one of the object balls out of the pen and followed by the cue ball, and to drive both balls by manipulating the board until with the cue ball in a position inside the hazard or balk line the object ball is driven into the pocket having the value of one. In a successful play, the object ball must be driven 1nto the pocket by manipulating the board and the cue ball must at the instant of pocketing the object ball be in a position on that portion of the playing surface between the hazard or balk line and the pocket. Having pocketed the first ball, those remainmg in the pen must be similarly driven therefrom and forced into their respective pockets. The cue ball always at the instant of pocketing to be located in the space between the hazard or balk line and the pocket then played. As this space is increasingly narrow, as the score value of the pocket increases, it is apparent that the difficulty of properly pocketing the object ball is .increased according to the score value gained by such pocketing, and that this difiiculty is directly resultant from the relative arrangement of the hazard or balk lines.

In further simulating the game of pool, provision is made for what may be termed kiss shots: that is, when the object ball is by the manipulation of the game board, caused to strike again t the cue ball and bound from it into the pocket, while the cue ball remains in the hazard space. This counts a double score for the particular pocket.

The balls are caused to move in the desired direction only through manipulation of the game board and it, during such nianipulation, an object ball not itself being in play is permitted to escape from the pen the player holding the board loses it to the next player. Furthermore, it an object ball while in play is permitted to return to the pen; or is driven into the pocket with the white ball outside of the hazard or ball; line; or is driven into any pocket other than the proper one to be played; or the cue ball permitted to fall into a pocket; or any ball jumps from the board, the player loses the board to the next player.

Claims:

1. A game board to be manually tilted or manipulated having a playing surface formed with pockets, below the playing surface, a pen having an outlet arraneed centrally of such surface, and hazard lines arranged adjacent the poclrets, the relation of any one line to the pocket being dii'i'erent from the relation of any other line to its pocket.

2. A game board to be manually tilted or manipulated having a playing surface with a marginal rail" or cushion, pockets formed at appropriate points below such surface, a pen arranged centrally of the surface and having an outlet, and a hazard line formed on but not projecting above the surface adjacent each pocket, the hazard lines being of varying distances from the respective pockets and defining a particular playing space between such line and edge of the particular pocket. I

In testimony whereof I ailiX my signature.

CHAS. S. MGMAHAN. 

